Ergo ut inultus eas? sed nec tamen ibis inultus, Sic violare ausus meque meosque deos. Ure oleo, lictor. Oleo parat urere lictor: Sed quem uri lictor credidit, unctus erat. Te quoque sic olei virtus malefida fefellit? Sic tua te Pallas, Domitiane, juvat?
_To Domitian, concerning St. John commanded to be cast into a caldron of boiling oil._
Thou go unpunish'd? That shall never be, Since thou hast dar'd to mock my gods and me. Burn him in oil!--The lictor oil prepares: Behold the Saint anointed unawares! With such elusive virtue was the oil fraught! Such aid thy olive-loving Pallas brought![89] R. WI.
Tantum habuit Baptista loqui, tot flumina rerum, Ut bene Vox fuerit, praetereaque nihil. Ecce autem Verbum est unum tantum ille loquutus: Uno sed Verbo cuncta loquutus erat.
The Baptist had to speak such floods of things, That well he might be Voice and nothing more: But one word only, lo, Christ speaks, which brings In one word all: My soul that Word adore! G.
_In D. Petrum angelo solutum._ Act. xii. 6, 7.
Mors tibi et Herodes instant: cum nuncius ales Gaudia fert, quae tu somnia ferre putas. Quid tantum dedit ille, rogo, tibi? Vincula solvit, Mors tibi et Herodes nonne dedisset idem?
Death, Herod, press on thee; when angel's wing Brings joys which thou supposest dreams to bring. What gave he thee? Thy chains burst at his touch; But Death and Herod would have given as much. R. WI.
_Relictis omnibus sequuti sunt eum._ Luc. v. 28.
Ad nutum Domini abjecisti retia, Petre. Tam bene non unquam jacta fuere prius. Scilicet hoc recte jacere est tua retia, Petre, Nimirum, Christus cum jubet, abjicere.
_On St. Peter casting away his nets at our Saviour's call._
Thou hast the art on't, Peter, and canst tell To cast thy nets on all occasions well. When Christ calls, and thy nets would have thee stay, To cast them well's to cast them quite away. CR.
At the Lord's word thy nets were cast away: Never before thy nets so well were cast. Rightly to cast them is to cast away, When once The Master's order has been pass'd. G.
_Agnus Dei, qui tollit peccata mundi._ Joan. i. 36.
Ergo tot heu, torvas facies, tot in ora leonum, In tot castra lupum qui meat, Agnus erit? Hic tot in horribiles, quot sunt mea crimina, pardos? Hic tot in audaces ungue vel ore feras? Ah melius, pugiles quis enim commiserit istos? Quos sua non faciunt arma vel ira pares.
